Crashing Like a Wave
by TheGreatSporkWielder
Summary: Lizzie takes advantage of Pemberley Digital's pool one morning. Darcy is apparently back from L.A. That would've been nice to know. A Lizzie Bennet Diaries fic.


_Prompted by __**ladywhizbee**__ on tumblr._

* * *

The day after she'd posted her first video from Pemberley Digital, Lizzie was sitting in one of the dining facilities (they were _far _too nice to be labeled "cafeterias"), mindlessly poking at the remains of her lunch when Amy, one of Pemberley Digital's entry-level programmers, slid into an empty seat next to her (after the incident with Gigi, Lizzie had surreptitiously studied everyone's badge when they'd first been introduced. _Part-time graphic artist, _ha).

"So, have you tried the pool yet?" asked Amy, as she drizzled raspberry vinaigrette over her salad.

Lizzie shook her head as she pushed some stray mushrooms around on her plate. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Pemberley Digital _has _a pool."

Amy laughed. "It's a great way to unwind," she said. "And whenever we successfully launch a new product, Mr. Darcy throws a party up there."

"Wouldn't that be about once a week?" Lizzie asked as she tried to picture Darcy throwing a pool party. That led to an image of Darcy in swim trunks, and she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head in an effort to get _that _picture out of her mind (it was especially disturbing, since the Darcy in her head apparently _never _took that bow tie off).

Amy laughed. "Well," she corrected, "they're once a quarter or so. And they're more like social gatherings. There's not crazy chicken fights or anything. And really, the kids are the only ones who swim. But you should still try the pool."

"Isn't it a bit chilly for swimming?" Lizzie replied. "It _is _January."

"Not in a heated pool," Amy said, grinning. "And if you're nervous about people seeing you in your suit in the middle of winter, no one ever goes up there before, like, ten in the morning."

Lizzie shrugged. "I didn't bring my suit with me."

Amy cocked an eyebrow at her. "Never fear," she said, curling a friendly arm around Lizzie's shoulders. "I know _just _the place to get one."

* * *

At eight-fifteen Friday morning, Lizzie stood on the diving board, her toes curling nervously along its edge. The pool room was, indeed, completely devoid of life at this hour of the morning. The whole building would be fairly empty for another forty-five minutes or so; when Lizzie had woken up half an hour before her alarm was supposed to go off, she'd decided she might as well use the suit Amy had convinced her to buy two days ago and go for a swim.

Taking a deep breath, Lizzie dove into the pool in one smooth movement, pushing her hair out of her eyes as she surfaced. She began swimming in slow, lazy laps, allowing her thoughts to drift as she slid deftly through the clear, warm water.

The more time she spent looking around Pemberley Digital's facilities, the more she fell in love with the company. And it wasn't just the amazing food and the state-of-the-art editing software that made her want to hug the computers (no matter how undignified that would look) and the_freaking pool. _Everyone who worked here was friendly and creative and every single one of them seemingly couldn't wait to come into work every day, and it completely astounded her. It was a stark contrast to what she'd seen at Collins & Collins, where everyone was on edge, wondering if the person above them on the ladder would approve of their work. Darcy, despite all appearances, seemed to encourage, nay _demand, _creativity and individuality from his employees, and Lizzie couldn't help but admire that about him.

She was _very _glad he was in L.A., because she still hadn't quite been able to wrap her head around the fact that the man she'd known at Netherfield and Collins & Collins was the same man who was CEO of Pemberley Digital, and she wasn't quite sure how she'd react to seeing him again.

But apparently, fate or God or whoever hated her, because as she swam to the edge of the pool and pulled herself up the ladder, her eyes landed on the man in question, who had just come into the room. He was fully dressed, right down to the suspenders and bow tie, so he obviously wasn't planning on swimming; as her breath caught in her chest and her heart stuttered nervously, Lizzie wondered if he'd known she was up here or if he just did some kind of routine inspection every morning.

Darcy's eyes widened as they met hers and for a moment, Lizzie hovered on the ladder, wondering if she should dive back into the pool and hope that she could hold her breath until he left, or if she should just act like _William Darcy _seeing her in a swimsuit was no big deal (even though it really was).

Darcy seemed stunned to see her, which answered _that _question. "Lizzie," he finally said, coming over to the pool and reaching down a hand to help her up the last rung of the ladder. Lizzie didn't really need his help, but she figured she'd been rude enough to him in the past that she wouldn't begrudge him this bit of chivalry, and, releasing the breath she'd been holding, she slid her hand into his. Once she was fully out of the pool, Darcy reached for a towel hanging nearby and handed it to her. She wordlessly took it and wrapped it around herself.

"I didn't know you were here," he said, his now-empty hands twitching nervously at his sides, his eyes on a point somewhere over her left shoulder.

"I thought you were in L.A.," she replied, reaching up one hand in a useless attempt to smooth down her hair, which was tangled and stiff from the chlorine, and hoping he couldn't hear her heart pounding.

His eyes darted back to her for a moment, following the movement of her hand, before he replied. "Yes, I was until last night," he explained. "I came back for Gigi's birthday."

"I didn't know it was her birthday," Lizzie said. "She didn't tell me."

"Yes, on Sunday. You've met her, then?" he inquired. At her nod, the corner of his mouth turned up slightly. "I was hoping you would."

"She ambushed me," Lizzie explained, tugging self-consciously on the edge of her towel. "She pretended to be my tour guide when I first got here."

"Ah," he replied eloquently. Then, as if suddenly remembering what Lizzie had been doing prior to his entrance, he took a step away from her. "I didn't mean to interrupt," he said apologetically, gesturing at the pool behind her.

"No, it's fine," Lizzie blurted before she could stop herself, and the hand that had been clutching her towel absently slid up to rub at her collarbone in an attempt to relieve the pressure building in her chest. "I was about to get out, anyway. It's probably time I actually start working on what I came here for instead of just taking advantage of the amenities."

"And...what do you think of Pemberley Digital so far?" he asked, and although the question itself seemed casual, his expression suggested he'd intended it as more than just making conversation.

Lizzie was both relieved and embarrassed by the question. Relieved, because that meant he wasn't still watching her videos and hadn't seen her fangirling over Pemberley in the last one, and embarrassed because that meant she had to consciously keep herself from fangirling over it to his face.

Also, she was _still _dripping wet and wearing nothing more than a swimsuit and towel.

"It's great," she finally said, unable to keep the admiration from her voice. "Amazing."

"I'm very glad you think so," he replied, and the painful pounding of her heart slowed a bit at his obvious sincerity.

Just as Lizzie had decided that he deserved a slightly more detailed answer, he cleared his throat and spoke again. "I won't keep you any longer," he said stiffly, glancing down at his watch. His eyes met hers one final time, and the corners of his mouth turned up just slightly. "I hope you enjoy your time here at Pemberley Digital, Lizzie. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask." With that, he abruptly turned and strode away, slipping through the doors without a backward glance.

"Thank you," Lizzie called after him, her words echoing around the empty room.

_Well, _that _was weird, _she thought before heading for the showers. At least now she didn't have to worry about him finding out she was here and having her thrown off the premises. That meeting had gone a lot more smoothly than she'd imagined it would, and now that it was over, she could relax a bit more.

After all, it's not like she was ever going to run into him again while she was here.


End file.
